Life Doll Complex
by Natakuu
Summary: AU.  Kisa Shouta was sure he hadn't ordered anything from the strange men near the Subway. So when a 'prototype' of his ideal man is delivered straight to his apartment, he isn't sure how to react. YukinaXKisa
1. Prologue: Day Zero

**Chapter: **Zero

**Name: **Day Zero

**Pairing: **Yukina Kou X Kisa Shouta

**Disclaimer: **Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi belongs to Nakamura Shungiku and their affiliates.

**Notes: **I have no idea where this came from (read ending notes). It might have something to do with me getting impatient about Hybrid Child. This, however, does not follow the concept behind the Hybrid Child, but is another one entirely. That will come in details in the next chapter. P_ P Oh dear god.

Heehee.

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><p><em>Are you tired of waiting for 'the one'?<em>

_Tired of coming home to an empty apartment? Do you want to come home to someone who'll love you? Take care of you? Be there for you?_

_Well, look no further. The 'Life Doll' Prototype #1 is on the market. For a measly sum of 290,000 Yen, you can have a prototype made especially for you and delivered to your house._

_Conditions apply._

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><p>Kisa Shouta wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at.<p>

He looked from the flier he was holding to the man who had handed him the flier and back at the flier. Was this a joke? He eyed the picture on the side of the paper. It was a pretty woman in a very suggestive pose. He didn't even like girls.

But the stares this man was giving him unnerved him, "What is it?" he asked cautiously. Wasn't he supposed to hand out the flier and leave?

"How'd you like to pay?" The man had brown messy hair, deep set eyes and a manipulative feel about him. He was dressed fashionably, much like how he'd expect a television star to be dressed. So what was a man like this doing leafing out obviously suspicious fliers in front of the Subway Station? Did they even have a permit?

"Pay?" Kisa looked slightly stunned at the comment, "Pay what?"

The man's smile turned into a smirk, "Cash or card?"

"Huh?" Kisa's brows wrinkled. Was this man crazy? He turned his head away from the man. A few people were giving him strange looks, the flier in their hands. Some were even smiling at him, a few girls giggled as they walked by.

Kisa felt his mouth open and shut. What was happening to him?

"Sir?" The man interceded again, "I don't have all day you know."

'Apparently you do.' He shoved the flier back into the man's hands, "Here you go."

He adjusted the strap of the bag on his shoulder and took a step back, "Are you sure Sir?" A new voice from behind him drew his attention.

Kisa slowly turned his head to see who was standing behind him. This time it was a tall brunette. He was carrying the same stack of fliers in his hand, and Kisa could only assume that the two men were working together. Was he getting scammed? Crap. Kisa desperately looked left and right for any way out of this mess. But the men drew closer to him, ever so slowly, "Wouldn't you like to order Sir? If you decide to help us, we could adjust the price…"

"He-help you?" Kisa felt his voice crack. He looked at the flier, at the strange writing, at the strange picture of the woman. These people had obviously grown up spending one too many hour in front of the TV. He looked from one man to the other. The closer they came, the faster his heart started beating. This was insane!

He closed his eyes and threw his hands out, preventing them from drawing any closer to him, "I'm not interested, alright?" He saw the brown haired man open his mouth to speak and gave him a dirty look, "How do I put it? Your 'prototype' _can't get me excited._ Now leave me alone."

"Ah." The brunette looked slightly stunned, "So you're…."

Kisa was alarmed. He didn't want people to know anything about his private life, and that part of his life was something no one ever needed to know about.

"We can arrange that for you." The brunette smiled, "That's actually slightly easier than a girl."

Kisa was sure he looked like a giant beet root. These men. He felt like killing them. He inhaled deeply, and smirked, "Unless you have a male prototype that's exactly 186cm tall, weighs 66 kg, with a shoe size of twenty seven, has dark brown eyes and light brown hair…" Kisa kept thinking, he needed to come up with something improbable to throw these people off, "Who looks like a prince every girl would fall for, has a deep voice that turns slightly soft only when he's near the person he loves" What was he doing? This was stupid, "Enjoys artistic activities, doesn't bother me at work and most importantly_, feels like he's human. _Then feel free to send him to me." His smirk turned into a cocky grin when he saw that both of his assailants had their mouths open wide in shock.

"That was quite specific." The brown haired man finally spoke.

Kisa grinned, suddenly feeling happy with himself. Take that! Though if only someone like that existed. Well, even if they did, he was sure they wouldn't fall for someone plain like him. He looked at both of the men. Neither of them were paying him any attention at all. They were staring at each other, faces scrunched in deep thought.

'This is my chance.'

And with that, Kisa Shouta started sprinting down the street, not paying any attention to the people staring at him. People on the road be damned. He needed to get away from those strange men.

* * *

><p><em>Slam<em>

He closed the door to his apartment and fell down to the floor, breathing fast. What was that? He vaguely considered reporting them to the police, but would they still be there? That, and who in today's age chooses to publicize their products through fliers? That was what the internet was for! But then again, given just how messed up the entire concept was, he chose to believe that their though processes didn't work normally. Either way, at least that was over and done with.

* * *

><p>Kisa Shouta liked to believe that he was an ordinary man.<p>

He had a normal job as an editor at an esteemed publishing house; he had normal friends, a normal apartment, a normal face. The only thing that made him stand out from the masses was his sexuality. He knew he was in the minority, but he'd grown to accept his preferences over the years. He still didn't like to talk about it in public though, years of experience had taught him that some people had a tendency of becoming prejudiced, and that he was too just sensitive to handle that.

So yes, Kisa Shouta was an absolutely ordinary man, living an ordinary life. So maybe he got lonely at times, it wasn't as if he had the pick of the tree. But he managed with what he got. He'd long since learnt that falling in love was harsh, especially for him. His feelings were hardly ever returned, and at the end of the day, all he had left was a bucketful of tears, tissue papers and bowls of chocolate. To think people had the audacity to tell him he was becoming chubby! Who cared?

It was specifically because he was such an ordinary man, that the extra-ordinariness of the situation stood out even more to him. He cautiously surveyed the situation.

There, right next to his apartment door sat a tall man. He had light brown hair, gorgeous eyes, silky hair and a gentle scent.

"She must be lucky." He thought to himself, as he looked at the man. He was looking at something in his hands. Was that a letter? The man looked like he was anticipating something, waiting for someone.

'He's perfect.' Kisa started to unlock the door to his apartment, still eyeing the man from the corner of his eyes. He felt his heart beat fast and his mind reel. This man was looking at him. _At him. _He tried to steady his heartbeat, 'Calm down! He probably just wants to ask for directions, or if someone or the other lives here. What would he want with me?'

But he couldn't control the way his heart was beating. It thumped so loudly, he was surprised that the man sitting on the floor couldn't hear it. It was slightly embarrassing.

"Kisa Shouta-san?" The man finally spoke. He was looking at the paper he held in his hands carefully and back at Kisa.

That was it. Kisa was going to have a heart attack. He'd just had a hallucination that the man out of his dreams who would never be his had called out his name. Or not. The man was standing and smiling at him, "You're Kisa Shouta, right?" He bowed slightly and smiled. He reached his hands out towards Kisa and waited.

What was this? Was someone trying to scam him again? But this man was just so perfect. Kisa felt his hands automatically reach out to touch the man's hand; it was slightly firm, "Hah."

"Thank god. I thought I'd got the address wrong. I've been waiting all day." The man was smiling, and talking freely. Kisa tried to focus on what he was saying, but his mind was distracted. Who was this? Someone he'd slept with and neglected to call back? No… He'd remember someone this gorgeous. He found himself focusing more on the shape of the man's lips than what he was saying.

"I didn't want to go all the way back to the lab."

Huh? Lab? Kisa blinked.

"_Unless you have a male prototype that's exactly 186cm tall, weighs 66 kg, with a shoe size of twenty seven, has dark brown eyes and light brown hair…Who looks like a prince every girl would fall for, has a deep voice that turns slightly soft only when he's near the person he loves. Enjoys artistic activities, doesn't bother me at work and most importantly, feels like he's human. Then feel free to send him to me."_

Oh Crap.

It couldn't be. It couldn't possibly be. How would they know his address? His vision suddenly came back into focus.

"A-are you a…" Kisa tried to think back to the name on the flier he had seen a week ago, "Life Doll?"

The man nodded and smiled, "Thank you for special ordering me! I look forward to working my hardest for you."

Kisa was sure he was going to faint right then and there. Or hurt someone. Or both. Fate had played a cruel joke on him, a very cruel joke indeed. He started to laugh. It started off slowly and then started to sound more sarcastic.

The man looked slightly confused at the outburst, but he continued, "My name is Yukina Kou." Oh, so even his name sounded like a Prince's name. Perfect. At least those people had a sense of humor, "I'll be in your care from today."

Oh no you won't.

Kisa quickly opened the door to his apartment and entered, closing it before Yukina had the chance to follow in after him, "Kisa –san?" He heard the voice call out from outside.

Kisa felt weak in his knees. That voice… it was so perfect. He would definitely hurt whoever was responsible for this.

"Kisa-san?" The voice called out again.

Kisa closed his eyes, he couldn't help it. He had to see that face again. He put the lock chain on the door, and opened it slightly, staring at the man on the other side, "Ah… Listen here…"

"Yukina." The man smiled.

"Yes, Yukina. There has been some sort of mistake, I'm afraid I don't know what you're doing here." It killed Kisa to say that, to think that he might never see this man again. But he couldn't possibly think of falling in love with a … Life Doll… whatever that was. He closed the door and sank to the floor. This was terrible. Wait. Who was falling in love with who? Kisa felt Yukina knock on the door behind him, "Kisa- san?"

"Like I said," He clenched his hands and tried his hardest not to open the door again, "There's been some mistake."

"Mistake?" The voice on the other side of the door sounded disturbed, "So you're not Kisa Shouta?"

"No. Wait, I mean, yes, I am! But like I said, I didn't order a … you." That sounded wrong on so many levels. Kisa felt himself turn red as he quickly crawled away from the door. He would take a bath. Anything to get his mind off of what was happening.

* * *

><p>Kisa cautiously tip toed towards the apartment door, a towel draped over his shoulders. Was he still here? A part of him hoped that he was, but another part of him rejected the concept outright. He paused near the door. There was an envelope there. Had Yukina slipped it in through the mail slot?<p>

_Kisa Shouta-san _

_Thank you for the purchase! I hope he is to your liking. We are giving you a one week free sample of our product. Should you desire to keep him after the week gives out, you will have to make an official purchase._

_We have modified him to the specifications that you had previously provided for us. Enclosed here is also your driver's license which you had dropped when you met us. _

_Should you desire to return him, you may bring him to our lab. Please note that it is quite difficult to reach, so we have programmed the directions into the product. _

_Finally, please note that we do not take back damaged products._

_Enjoy the week._

_LD Inc._

'Don't just go making up names of non-existent companies!And stop calling him 'a product'.' It was hard to think of the man outside as not human. Kisa was beginning to feel very nervous. What do you do with something like this?

So that meant Yukina was still sitting outside? He took out his driver's license from the envelope. He normally used the subway; he didn't really have any need for the card, so he hadn't noticed its disappearance till now. It wasn't even the first time he'd lost it.

Kisa looked at the door in front of him. The world outside suddenly felt so different from the world he had been inhabiting since then. He had read manga's about things like this. 'Life Doll'. What was it? How did they even make something like that? Yukina had felt like a human. What was he really?  
>It had already been two hours since he'd closed the door on the man. He couldn't still be sitting there. Kisa felt his hands tremble as he reached for the door. He slowly opened it, peeking outside. Yukina Kou was sitting in the same place Kisa had first found him. His eyes were closed; he looked like he was sleeping. This was a Life Doll?<p>

Kisa felt himself reaching out towards the sleeping figure. He gently touched Yukina's hair. It was so silky. Kisa felt his head spin; this person was everything he'd ever wanted.

"Kisa-san?" Kisa froze where he was standing. Yukina opened his eyes. Had he been awake the entire time?

"One week." Kisa whispered, thinking back to the letter.

"Huh?" Yukina started to stand up. Kisa noticed that he was carrying a small duffel bag with him. What was inside that?

"You can stay with me for one week. After that…" Kisa dreaded the thought of what was about to happen. He was a private person and didn't like the idea of sharing his apartment with anybody. But he couldn't leave Yukina out there could he? What if he decided to sit there waiting all week until someone came to pick him up? The neighbors would get suspicious; rumors would start to spread… Kisa shuddered at the thought.

At least Yukina looked happy. For some strange reason, that smile on his face made Kisa want to smile too. He opened the door wider, looking down at the ground as Yukina walked inside.

One week? Screw that. He was going to return him tomorrow.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This is going to sound so weird... So last night I was umm... acting crazy? I vaguely remember writing something down on the computer in the mess. This morning when I woke up, I found I was sitting in front of this. O_O Yes, that really happened.

So, this chapter is more of a prologue than a real chapter. Hence, its smaller than my usual chapter sizes. I'm more like... testing the water? Either way, suggestions welcome. _R&R _(insert Life Doll flier)

Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter One: The Doll

**Chapter:** One

**Name:** Day One

**Pairing:** Yukina Kou X Kisa Shouta

**Disclaimer:** Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi belongs to Nakamura Shungiku and her affiliates.

**Notes:** Once again I wrote this story while I was high. Expect a lot of drama and self-introspection in this chapter. ^_^ This was written to 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' by Aimer (don't ask ^W^) and 'Kimi ni Okuru Uta' by Sayuri Sugawara. Those would make good background music for this piece if any of you happen to have the songs. ^O^ Please read, have fun, and let me kno what you think.

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><p>Kisa Shouta yawned as he turned in his bed.<p>

He folded his legs around the side pillow he never slept without. Lying on his back had always given him nightmares, and he rather enjoyed cuddling close to something while sleeping. It made him feel safe. He held on to the large figure sleeping next to him and snuggled in, "Hmm. Smells nice." He smiled faintly.

Wait. Smells nice? What exactly was supposed to…? He hadn't washed the cover of his side pillow in a really long time, and he didn't remember it being quite so firm and sturdy. He groaned as he turned around in his bed, his hands shuffling around until they found what they was looking for. His side pillow had fallen to the floor. He sleepily reached out for it. Finding it within his grasp, he held it close to his chest and fell asleep again.

He didn't know how long he'd been sleeping. The next time he opened his eyes, he was in the grasp of that same attractive smell that had greeted him the last time he'd woken up.

"Huh?" he mumbled sleepily as he lightly touched the silky soft hair that belonged to the man lying down next to him.

"It's still late Kisa-san you need to go back to sleep." The man smiled pleasantly at Kisa. The suddenness of the situation made Kisa jump up on his bed. He looked at the man sleeping next to him, "You… You…" He was unsure of how to continue. What was this man doing sleeping in the same bed as him? As far as Kisa remembered, he had explicitly told the man to sleep in the couch. He was sure he had locked the door to his bedroom before he had gone to sleep, so how was this man sitting in front of him right then?

"Yukina." The man helpfully supplied, while directing a bright and pleasant smile towards Kisa.

Kisa rapidly shook his head, "I mean… What are you doing here now?"

Yukina looked slightly confused, "This is what I'm supposed to do. Isn't this why you ordered me?"

Kisa wondered whether this was the right time to break everything out to the man. He pointed at Yukina and opened his mouth to speak. The Life Doll smiled innocently at Kisa. The older man felt as if his voice had gotten stuck in his throat. This was not good. Kisa simply couldn't bring himself to hurt this man, "Tomorrow I…"

He felt Yukina shift next to him. The man was now facing him, a confused smile on his face. Did Kisa-san not like to be held?

Kisa felt something painful in his chest before he looked at the ceiling, "I'll be leaving for work early tomorrow. And… I have an erratic work schedule." He started. What was he saying? He was supposed to be telling Yukina that he didn't want the man around, so what was he talking about?

"Kisa-san, I love you." The voice was pleasant, the feelings sounded sincere and Kisa was sure his heart was going to burst right then and there. Why did this have to happen to him? He turned his face to look at Yukina, "I'm going to sleep now." And with that, he turned around and snuggled into his side pillow. Damn life for putting him through this.

That night, he couldn't sleep. The weight next to his body served as a constant reminder of everything he had to face in the morning. At one point of time, he was sure he was going to cry. And he would've, if it weren't for those strong arms that wrapped themselves around him. Those soft words telling him that he was loved made him spill tears into his pillow. What were you Yukina? And why did you have to be the one person I couldn't fall in love with?

* * *

><p>Kisa stumbled around in his bag, looking for the keys to his apartment. He felt it against his hand and pulled it out. He moved the key towards the lock and stopped, he could've just knocked couldn't he? He shook his head. The idea of a strange, unknown person being inside his apartment right then was enough to make him feel repulsed. He was a private person, and he wasn't enjoying this one bit.<p>

No, that would be a lie. He was enjoying this a little. _Just a little though._

Okay, so maybe he was enjoying this more than he liked. Not that he would admit it out loud. Ever. No, he was supposed to dislike this. He was going to take Yukina back to those strange men from near the Subway. It was such a sneaky move, to 'programme' the address inside Yukina. Kisa felt a small shiver travel up his spine. He still wasn't used to thinking of the man as anything but human. This was all a big scam, wasn't it?

He had spent the whole day thinking up of theories that agreed with his idea. Maybe 'Yukina' was actually a poor, homeless juvenile delinquent who had run away from home and now had nowhere to live. He could have found himself at the hands of these weird men and now he was being subjected to acting as this 'Life Doll'. He laughed faintly, of course, that was more believable than this whole 'Life Doll' business. He steeled his mind. He would have to sit down with Yukina and talk to him about the terrible treatment these men had subjected him to before taking him back. Maybe the younger man really needed his help? Visions of him saving Yukina from the throes of eternal darkness, slavery and chains saw him turning a deep red color.

Chains? He shook his head. He was not going to let his head go down that road. Not yet anyway.

"Kisa-san!" The door opened and Kisa felt himself poke Yukina in the stomach with his keys.

"Haaa?" He stared at the man blocking the entrance to his apartment, "How did you know I was standing…" Kisa looked left and right, anywhere but at the man.

"I was going to go out now." Yukina beamed at him. Kisa noticed that he was wearing some of his own clothes. They looked a little small on Yukina, but the man looked as attractive as ever. Kisa felt slightly depressed. Why didn't he look so good in his own clothes? He blinked, "_You're leaving?" _ He ignored the sinking feeling that was slowly descending around him. Yukina was going to leave? So soon? Well, that was good news for Kisa at least. But then… slavery and bondage floated through his head and he looked up at Yukina firmly. Should he allow this juvenile delinquent to leave before he'd talked to him and possibly saved him from a life of being used and abused by strange men who give out fliers near the Subway during odd times of the day?

Yukina lifted his hand over his head, and Kisa saw that he was holding the small stash of money Kisa kept hidden in his cupboard for emergency purposes, "What're you doing?"

Did Yukina need money to go back? But even then, he was carrying a little too much. Kisa wasn't rich enough to give away that kind of money at a moment's notice.

"I'm going to go buy chains." Yukina smiled.

Kisa felt himself almost jump where he stood, "What?" He managed to squeak out. Chains? Of all things, why that?

"You said you wanted some." Yukina waved the money as he gently tried to push Kisa out of the way. Kisa did not like that idea; he looked left and saw that his neighbor was staring at him. He looked back at Yukina and jumped with all of his might. He crashed down to the floor of his apartment, straddling Yukina under him. He grabbed at the money the younger man held in his hands and stuffed it inside his bag.

"Kisa-san?" Yukina looked confused. Didn't he want those chains?

Kisa shook his head rapidly, "This joke's over. You should…" He thought as fast as he could, "… go to the police." He finished.

Yukina blinked at him, "Handcuffs?" He asked.

Kisa felt the sudden need to bang his head on the nearby wall. He understood what Yukina was pointing towards, but Kisa wasn't sure how they'd managed to arrive there.

He slowly got up and crawled towards his door. He waved at the old lady standing outside, a mouth held over her mouth and an expression of deep shock on her face. He gave her the most pleasant smile he could muster before slamming the door shut.

He turned towards Yukina, "Why would I want chains?" His voice was weak, but he knew the answer. He must have been thinking out loud.

Yukina testified to that fact when he said, "I heard you."

Kisa sighed, "Have you really been sitting next to this door all day?"

Yukina gave him a blank look, "Wasn't I supposed to?"

"No!" Kisa heard himself scream. If this were a human, they would've had some sort of a reaction. A frown, a distasteful look, an angry glare – if worst case came to worst then maybe even a barrage of insults and a tear or two. But Yukina looked at him blankly. There was no change in his demeanor. He felt his heart beat fast, was this person really… not human?

Yukina brought his face close to Kisa's. The older man felt himself stiffen. What was he doing? Kisa couldn't move, he watched as the younger man brought his face close to his and leaned in towards his left ear. Was he going to whisper something to Kisa? He felt a funny feeling in his stomach as he could feel Yukina's breath around his ears. He wasn't entirely uncomfortable. Wait. He was breathing? Kisa could feel his hopes rising again. Maybe he was human after all!

Kisa lightly turned his head. He felt Yukina's lips on his ears. They slowly traced down his ear lobe and all the way to his neck. Kisa moaned softly before grasping Yukina's hair. He pushed the man away roughly and stared straight into his eyes. Kisa was sure his eyes were filled with lust now, but this was wrong. It was wrong on so many levels. If Yukina were human, he would've pushed the man down and ravished him then and there, but no… He just… He couldn't do it with someone who wasn't supposed to be human. He pushed Yukina off of him and stood up before quickly sprinting towards the bathroom. He was going to take a bath and forget about all that had just happened.

* * *

><p>Kisa sighed as he poked at the toy duck floating in the bathtub. He watched as it floated away towards his legs. He felt guilty. Was hiding from Yukina in the bathroom really such a good idea? He wondered what the man was doing outside. Was he still waiting outside the door? Now that might be slightly uncomfortable. Kisa still wasn't sure as to how those men near the Subway had even created something like Yukina. This was definitely some elaborate prank.<p>

That man could not possibly be a … Life Doll. What were they really? Robots? He was unclear on the whole idea himself. He touched his left ear, the feeling of the man's breath on his neck had felt so real. How did all of this work? He watched as the duck floated back towards him.

Kisa grabbed the duck with his hands and squeezed it hard. He heard the squeaking sound come out every time he squeezed the duck; he grinned to himself. At least some things hadn't changed. Just a day before he was a lonely, single man fast entering his thirties and having no hope of meeting anyone he could ever fall in love with. But even then, what was happening now bordered on being the best dream ever and the worst nightmare of all time all at the same time.

He squeezed the duck one last time before standing up. He sighed as he reached for a towel. He was going to need to talk to Yukina now. He would have to get it out eventually.

* * *

><p>With a towel draped around his waist, he cautiously opened the door to the bathroom. He peeked out to see if Yukina was anywhere near the hallway. Seeing no one, he sighed and tip toed out of the room. He needed to get to his bedroom. Curse him for running in to take a bath before finding a change of clothes.<p>

The smell of something baking briefly caught his attention before he entered the bedroom, and he closed the door shut behind him. Not that that would do any good. Apparently Yukina had found a way to open locked doors – Kisa was sure he needed to find out how, and fast.

He stood in front of his closet, wondering what to wear. Yukina had already seen him in his green shirt. Maybe the white sleeveless? But it was too cold for that. His eyes flitted across the bare minimum number of shirts he owned. What could he wear? A blue full sleeve caught his eye as he smiled to himself. That was one shirt that he knew made him look good. He really should focus on more normal clothes and not just the flashy ones he used to attract partners on those mildly entertaining trips to various clubs so that he could meet more people like him.

He smiled as he dragged the shirt out and started to pull it around his shoulders. He closed the door to the closet. The door to the closet held a mirror, and he saw himself. What was he doing? He took the shirt off and opened the closet again. He found a somewhat old normal t-shirt. He calmly put it on and closed the closet door, staring at himself in the mirror again. This was much better. What was he doing trying to make himself attractive for Yukina?

* * *

><p>He tip toed outside of the bedroom, looking for Yukina. The man had been in his life for less than a day, and already Kisa's world was turning upside down.<p>

A strange smell caught his attention and he sniffed. What was that? It smelt _good. _He sniffed again. The smell was sweet, almost like a cake. He followed his nose all the way to the kitchen.

He stopped and stared. There was Yukina standing in front of him, an apron was hanging across his chest and gloves adorned his hands. He was leaning in front of the oven.

Kisa cleared his throat. What was this man doing here?

"Ah? Kisa-san? I thought you were still taking a bath." Yukina smiled at him before turning to the oven and closing the timer. He opened the oven and carefully carried what seemed like an extremely fluffy cake. He placed it on the table and poked at it with a fork. He smiled to himself, satisfied with whatever he had done.

He turned to Kisa and smiled, "It's ready."

"What is?" Kisa looked at the cake, unsure of what to expect. Another idea floated through his head. Maybe this was the sort of scam were you drug the unwilling participant and by the time they wake up, the whole apartment would be cleaned out. He shook his head. That would be impossible. All of this was too elaborate, and Yukina himself… He didn't look like the sort of person who'd try to trick Kisa. But then again, Kisa was not new to being deceived. It was one of the main reasons he had shut his heart off a long time ago. Of course he found people attractive every once in a while, and he did have physical needs he needed to take care of. But falling in love? Never. Too bad his heart seemed to disagree where Yukina was concerned.

"Now, now Kisa-san. Be patient." Said Yukina as he started to slowly shove Kisa outside the kitchen.

Kisa started to protest. That was his kitchen. This was his house. What was that Life Doll doing moving him around all over the place? He sat down on the couch in the living room and flipped on the TV. Maybe he should just consider that Yukina was his own personal maid? Either way, once he had completed whatever it was that he was making, Kisa would make sure to talk to Yukina about giving him the address to where he could return him. This farce had gone on for long enough.

Kisa blankly flipped through the channels, there was nothing on. And it wasn't as if he particularly wanted to watch the TV either. He switched off the machine and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the couch. His mind kept moving towards Yukina. He wasn't sure what he felt towards the new intruder in his life, but it definitely wasn't anything bad.

He inhaled deeply. He could smell that cake again. Was Yukina baking a cake for him? But why? His left eye suddenly opened. Wasn't today Valentine's Day? He felt himself chuckle slightly. Was Yukina baking him a cake for Valentine's day? Well that would at least get rid of one issue. Should they ever go so far as to sleep with each other, Kisa would probably top, right? It was always the girls who gave guys chocolates on Valentine's Day. Feeling satisfied with this line of thought, he turned around to face Yukina.

The younger man was pouting, "You weren't supposed to see this till I surprised you Kisa-san. That's cheating."

Kisa wasn't sure how to respond, so he just stared back. Was that cake for him?

Yukina came to sit next to Kisa. He had a small plate and a fork next to the cake.

The cake itself was beautiful. It was a sponge cake coated in chocolate. Yukina's had cut small pieces of strawberries and decorated them around the edges of the cake. On top of the cake were the simple words, 'I love you.'

Kisa could admit that he was feeling slightly overwhelmed by all of this. A part of him acknowledged the effort that had gone into making this for him, but another part felt that things were going too fast.

Either way, he didn't have the time for this. He needed to take Yukina back to those men today. Once he did, all of this would be over, right?

But why couldn't he? Why couldn't he turn Yukina away when the man broke open a small piece of the cake with his fork and move it towards Kisa's mouth. Why couldn't he stop himself from saying it was so good? Why couldn't he look at this Life Doll in the eyes?

"Are you…" He started to ask. He looked at the cake and back at Yukina, "Aren't you going to eat anything?" he asked.

Yukina smiled at him, "I don't need to eat. I'm a Life Doll." He declared.

Kisa felt as if his heart was being torn apart into a billion pieces. He was afraid of this. He was afraid that he would find the one thing he was looking for, and it would be the one thing he couldn't have. It tormented him.

Either way, he needed to keep his emotions in check. Life Doll or not, he didn't want to hurt Yukina. So he smiled at the man, "This is good." He said. He just prayed that his voice hadn't broken, "But, on Valentine's Day isn't it usually the girls who bake things for the people they're in love with?"

Yukina smiled, he already had an answer ready. He had spent the whole day thinking it up, "It's because I was the first person to fall in love with you Kisa-san. I love you, so I made this for you."

Kisa looked at the cake and then back at Yukina. He smiled faintly, "I'm sleepy now. Do you mind if I go to sleep?"

Kisa was sure Yukina looked disappointed, but he was afraid his own insecurity might show if he stayed near Yukina anymore. He got up to leave, and right before he entered his bedroom, he turned around and said, "That cake was delicious. I'm going to take it to work with me tomorrow." He hoped that was polite enough. The whole situation had gotten him so confused; he just needed some time alone to think.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Kisa felt Yukina's arms holding on to him tightly. He opened his eyes to meet pale brown ones. Kisa didn't say anything; he just watched those eyes as they looked deep into his own.<p>

"How do you keep getting into this room?" Kisa had locked the door to the room tonight, he had even double checked to make sure. He remembered doing that the last night as well.

"I jumped across the balcony to your window Kisa-san." Yukina replied, a nonchalant expression on his face.

Kisa felt his heart jump. He wanted to scream that that was dangerous, and that Yukina had no business endangering himself like that. But a part of him knew the answer Yukina would give him, 'I'm a Life Doll, so it doesn't matter'.

"I'll keep the door open next tine." He turned his eyes away from Yukina. He couldn't meet the man's eyes anymore, "So you don't have to do that."

Yukina leaned in towards him, and breathed in the scent of his hair. Yukina wasn't sure, but because it was Kisa – it was supposed to smell good right?

The younger man smiled and kissed Kisa gently on the forehead, smiling when he saw the man close his eyes. Soon, Kisa Shouta was peacefully asleep. Yukina lay awake, thinking of all that had happened and feeling elated that Kisa had not tried to send him back yet.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Kisa Shouta found himself face to face with a bento just as he was about to leave for work. He glanced at the person carrying the bento and back to the food, "For me?" he finally asked.<p>

Yukina nodded, "The cake from yesterday."

Kisa would never admit it out loud, and in fact, he tried his hardest right then to keep his smile in check. He opened the door, bento in hand. He was suddenly in such a good mood. It felt as if the day was perfect. The old woman from the night before stood next to the door. She looked like she was on her way back from shopping. She looked at Kisa and gave him a look of disgust. He smiled back at her, the bento making him feel like he was on the top of the world. How long had he dreamt of something like that?

"Kisa-san, when will you be back today?" Yukina stuck his head out from the apartment. Kisa looked from the woman back to Yukina. He suddenly felt an intense desire to get back at her. He moved fast and within moments, had his lips crushed against Yukina's. Yukina looked taken aback and the woman nearly dropped her packets.

He gave her a cocky grin before telling Yukina, "I'll be back in time for dinner."

He felt happy at having bested the woman. He watched as Yukina shut the door behind him and he started moving towards the stairs leading outside the apartment.

A sense of dread overcame him. What was he doing? The kiss, the bento… How long would all of this last? Why did a part of him feel as if all of this was so wrong?

And why did a part of him not want to take Yukina back to those men?

Last night had been different; he had been taken aback by the sudden change in his routine. He had to stay back at work and so he couldn't take Yukina back. But tomorrow. He didn't have anything to do tomorrow. It was the perfect time to end all of this once and for all.

So why did a part of him regret the thought of it? Why was he scared of never seeing Yukina again?

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Apparently, I can only write this story when I'm totally out of my senses. I know this chapter had a little but excess of drama in it, but I just couldn't ignore Kisa's internal conflict. ;-; Also, I'm trying to make it as different from Absolute Boyfriend as I can, seeing as I really hadn't seen the series before writing this story. ^_^U

I wish I had a BETA I could throw ideas at. For some reason, writing this story isn't very easy for me. I thought it would be really funny at first, but the more I get into the story... the more I can see the problems that are so imminent in it. Either way, me blabbering aside. Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review! They really help me to get writing. ^_^ (insert slices of Yukina's baked cake)

One more thing, anyone who's been to my profile should already be aware of the AO3 shift I was talking about. So this version of the story is the normal version. The real version is a lot more explicit and I'm not comfortable with putting it up on this site. It'll eventually be up on AO3 though, in case anyone's interested. Once again, please leave feedback! ^_^ Thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter Two: Drama

**Chapter: **Two

**Name: **Drama

**Disclaimer: **Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi belongs to Nakamura Shungiku and her affiliates.

* * *

><p>At the end of the day, he couldn't do it.<p>

He looked at the man currently vacuuming the room with a bright smile on his face. Kisa felt irritated, "Don't you ever get tired of doing that?"

Yukina looked at him, the smile still in place, "Vacuuming?" He pointed at the machine in his hand.

"No, smiling." Kisa felt a migraine coming, things were not going well at work. He hadn't made the sales figures that he had wanted. And between trouble at work and running into an ex recently, he felt that having a person to look after the house wasn't so bad at all, for now at least. Either way, his one week trial was almost over. He wondered when those men would come to take their payment. He wondered how he could afford Yukina.

Was he even worth buying anyway? Asking his landlord to clean up his apartment might be cheaper than this at any rate.

"Kisa-san?"

"Hmm?" He took his hands off from his eyes and jumped where he sat. Yukina's face was right next to his. When did he get so close? Kisa tried to move his head away from Yukina, but the taller man moved in slowly.

"Wait, what are you doing?" asked Kisa, holding Yukina's face away from his.

Yukina sat down on the couch next to Kisa, "Isn't this what you want?"

Kisa shook his head rapidly, 'Who am I trying to convince?' he told himself.

Yukina looked confused, "Then why did you order me?"

"I didn't." Kisa said before he could stop himself. He wasn't sure what hurt him more, the fact that he actually hesitated for a brief second before saying those words, or the fact that Yukina's smile never faded once, not even after hearing that.

'How could it?' Kisa thought bitterly to himself, 'You're just a stupid machine anyway.'

"Kisa-san?" Kisa followed the voice and found himself facing Yukina.

Why was he looking at him like that? He looked so kind, so warm, so… alive. Kisa clutched the cushion on his lap tightly, 'It isn't real. This guy isn't real.'

"Kisa-san?" The voice called him again, but this time he didn't look.

What kind of a man was he? He felt like crying over something as stupid as this? What was wrong with him? He should have just stopped coming up with so many excuses and sent this thing back… no, he meant Yukina! He should have sent Yukina back a long time ago. Then things wouldn't have had the chance to go so far.

Kisa Shouta for all his pride and faults had one extremely bad habit. He tended to get too easily attached to people. Not everyone of course. He wasn't _that _stupid. But just once in a while, he would find someone who he felt he couldn't live without. But he was a difficult person to live with, to tolerate even. He had men call him needy, dependant, even obsessive before – but he hadn't meant to be any of those things. That was just who he was.

He looked at Yukina. Was he dependant on him as well? He reached his hand towards Yukina's, he touched it gently, keeping a keen eye on Yukina at all times. Not once did that smile falter. Not once did it change. His smile didn't grow when Kisa placed a hand on his, nor did it fall when he saw that Kisa might have been crying.

'Is this what they call bitter-sweet love?' thought Kisa, 'No wait. What am I thinking?"

He sighed and turned his head to face the ground. He didn't resist Yukina this time when he came close to face. He quietly watched as that perfect face came closer and closer to his. Right before their lips touched, he closed his eyes.

'So soft.', he thought. Yukina never kissed him with his mouth open, it was always just a small peck on the lips. But for Kisa, that was enough. At least for now it was all that he needed.

* * *

><p>Yukina saw the world through pre-programmed eyes.<p>

He did what his system told him to, rather he was forced to do that. He didn't yet know what free will, change, or even free choice meant. Everything he did was dictated to him by something he wasn't entirely sure of. In fact, the part of his intelligence that made him question why he was so different from Kisa made him all that more surprised.

He knew that he was bound by chains in all directions, that he couldn't move freely, or do anything freely for that matter. There was a small part of him that wanted to know more about himself, but it was a small part. And the duties of the day were more important after all.

But there was always one question ringing in his mind, that not even whatever he was made up of could take away from him – Why did Kisa want him here?

And why didn't Kisa use him the way he was supposed to be used? Surely the man knew that he had other functions besides cleaning the house and preparing food? But every time he tried to hint that at the man, he would just turn this weird shade of red and run away saying he had something or the other to do. Yukina wanted to know if he was doing something wrong.

Had he disappointed his master in some way? Was he going to be taken away at the end of the week? He had known that Kisa had wanted to send him back from the moment he had figured out who he was, so he had tried his hardest to make sure that that didn't happen. Hadn't he done everything right? He was too scared to push the question of sex in yet. Maybe Kisa really would send him back after that. But wasn't that what Kisa had wanted?

So when he saw that Kisa had allowed him to kiss him so casually, he felt really happy inside. He slowly moved his lips away from the smaller man's. Kisa looked flushed. Yukina moved closer to where Kisa was sitting and gently placed a hand around his shoulder. He felt Kisa move as the man placed his head down on Yukina's shoulder. Within moments he was asleep.

"Kisa-san, you can't sleep like this. You'll catch a cold." Yukina softly whispered into his ear.

Kisa frowned, "Just for a bit, please…" And with that he dozed off.

Yukina had little space to maneuver, but he had to get his battery recharged – or else he might not be able to continue with his duties the next day.

"Well, I can do it while you take a bath tomorrow." He whispered softly before staring at the ceiling. It wasn't as if he needed to sleep. He would spend the night thinking then. It made his head hurt, like he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. But so what? He liked it all the same.

He liked thinking of Kisa.

* * *

><p>"What time is it?" Kisa jumped on the couch, a smiling Yukina casually sitting beside him. He looked around him, it was still dark.<p>

Yawning, he checked the watch on his wrist, he was up early. He ruffled his hair and cuddled down with a cushion on the couch. He hadn't had a good night' sleep in a while. He looked at the smiling Yukina. Was he the cause behind this?

He quickly turned away, not with that constant smile he wasn't. It was beginning to creep Kisa out a little, just a little though.

"Have you been sitting there all this time?" he asked Yukina, trying to stifle a yawn.

Yukina nodded.

"You could have moved me." Kisa's eyes were tearing. He had a little more time before he needed to get ready for work anyway. Maybe he should just snuggle up to Yukina for a bit longer and… wait. What did he just think?

"I liked it here. And you looked comfortable."

Kisa coughed. He did, did he? This wasn't good. This really wasn't good. Was he actually falling in love with Yukina? That face of his didn't make it any easier. Darn those men for making the perfect match for him. How did they get it this accurate anyway?

Well… it's not as if he'd never had a custom made toy before. Yeah, that was right. He had ordered a few custom made toys in his youth. This wasn't any different than that. It wasn't as if Yukina was real at any rate. For that matter, what was he? His lips felt soft enough.

"Do you want to sleep a little more?" Yukina suggested, patting his hand which still lay casually over the top of the couch.

Kisa looked from the man then back to the couch, and finally back to the man. This was not a toy. At least not in his eyes. What kind of a toy spoke, cooked and cleaned anyway?

"I'll be sleeping in my bedroom." He turned to Yukina, expecting to see a look of disappointment on his face. It was obvious he wanted Kisa to sleep on his shoulder. But the smile was still there.

'That irritating smile.' Kisa grumbled to himself as he walked into his bedroom and locked the door behind him. He didn't want to wake up to find Yukina in the same bed as him. Over the past three days, Yukina had developed a habit of sneaking into Kisa's bed once the man had fallen asleep. Kisa didn't really mind this when he woke up. No, it wasn't so much as seeing Yukina lie next to him that bothered him, but the fact that Yukina's eyes were carefully studying ever little thing he did that made him feel so unnerved. He knew by now that Yukina didn't need to sleep, or eat. He sometimes, very rarely, took a wet towel and very carefully removed dirt from his body. But that was all.

All the normal human functions that Kisa had grown accustomed to since birth were unknown to Yukina. He just didn't know what they were, or why Kisa had to do it.

He had asked Kisa once, "Why do you take two baths in a day?"

Kisa had replied, "It relaxes me."

Yukina had looked slightly confused before that same smile had crept back onto his face, "Like how I feel when I'm with you."

Kisa had almost laughed when he'd heard that. But he didn't, not in front of Yukina. He had smiled at the man, patted him on the head and gone to his bedroom to change. It wasn't until later that day that he realized that Yukina would probably not have felt hurt had he laughed right then. He didn't have the system for it, did he?

Still, Kisa snorted, whoever had come up with the lines for Yukina was too cheesy for words. That guy was a hard core romantic. Kisa chuckled softly; he was fun to be around at the end of the day.

"Kisa."

"Oww" Kisa nursed the bump on his head and glared at Takano, "I _am_ working."

"It's not that." Ritsu smiled at him, his hands stretched out defensively.

"Eh? Richchan?"

"You're wife's here to give you your bento."

"Eh?" Kisa cocked an eyebrow. What wife? He didn't remember being married. When did this… His eyes opened wide and he made a mad dash for the reception.

* * *

><p>"Yukina!" he called as he saw the man waiting at the reception with a bento in hand. Did things like this happen outside movies? The last time anyone had gone this far to get a bento to him was back in high school. Kisa blushed slightly.<p>

"What are you doing here?" Kisa felt like smacking himself on the face, as if that wasn't obvious.

"I came to give this to you." Said Yukina, holding the bento out for Kisa to take, "You'd left it at home."

"Forget about that, how did you get the address to this place?"

"I memorized it." Smiled Yukina.

"You… what?" Kisa looked slightly confused, and then he felt a little perplexed. Finally, he chalked it up to one of things that happen once you start living with a Life Doll. They memorized everything about you, and Kisa knew just how horrifying that could be.

Once he had found Yukina memorizing his entire wardrobe. When Kisa had cautiously asked what Yukina was doing, the man had smiled and replied, "In case anything goes missing, it's my job to look after things like this." Kisa had meekly nodded his head and gone to watch some TV.

He pulled Yukina to one side, "But why did you tell everyone you were my wife?"

"Kisa-san," Yukina looked a little sad? Something in Kisa jumped. He had finally managed to get a new reaction from Yukina! "Are you angry?"

Kisa blinked, "No, not really." What was he saying? Something like this could permanently ruin his career. But he wasn't angry?

"I'm sorry if I did something wrong…" Yukina looked away from Kisa.

Where did he learn to do that? Kisa's heart was thumping in his chest, and his cheeks blushed a deep red, "I'm sorry" he finally finished.

Yukina looked back at him, a soft smile on his face, "Then you'll take it?" he asked.

Kisa nodded and meekly turned around and sprinted back to the elevator. He turned around once, to see if Yukina was still waiting. He was, and Kisa waved a small 'goodbye' to him. Yukina enthusiastically waved back at him.

* * *

><p>Inside the elevator, he clutched the bento tightly. His heart was beating fast and he felt the sudden urge to dance in place. But he held himself in check, he was an adult man after all. That interaction with Yukina back at the reception had been so human, Kisa had almost forgotten that he was a Life Doll. A small part of him had started telling him though, to forget about what Yukina is.<p>

If he wasn't a Life Doll, would Kisa have loved him anyway? He knew he would have. If only things weren't so complicated.

"Richchan! Who told you that was my wife?"

Ritsu stared at him, "The receptionists."

Kisa sat down in his chair and groaned, "From what angle did he look like my wife?" This was going to be one mistake that might take him a little while to fix.

"Chocolate. The ones they sell at the shop at the corner." Takano piped in from where he was sitting.

"Huh?" Kisa stared at him.

"Just give it to them. They'll stay quiet after that."

"Ah." Kisa wondered if Takano had ever had to deal with them over something similar before. But still, he was a guy damn it! And they skipped over the girlfriend phase and went straight to calling him his wife? Some people, Kisa would never understand. He smiled softly and placed the bento on the table in front of him.

* * *

><p>Yukina was glad that he had returned in time.<p>

That drama show was going to begin at any moment. Over the past three days, he'd gotten bored when Kisa wasn't around. After finishing all the chores in the house, he would usually sit down and draw something on any random scrap of paper he managed to come across. And in Kisa's house, those were many and all over the place.

He would then grow bored of drawing. Kisa hardly ever came home in time. It was usually unearthly hours of the night, and he'd lock himself up in his room and work some more.

So Yukina had to find other things to occupy himself with. He knew that Kisa didn't like to just see him smiling; he had heard the man whisper that in bed a few too many times. So he'd started a small, little trick. He would watch shows which apparently showed lots of emotion in them and try and copy those.

Yukina grabbed the remote and kept switching the channels until he found something that was slightly suited to what he was looking for. An hour later, he was standing in front of the mirror practicing various facial expressions.

'When I'm sad I have to look like this' – so saying, he turned his eyes towards the ground and made sure his lips trembled slightly. His fingers were clenched. He looked like was going to start crying any minute now.

He jumped in place and looked back at the mirror, 'When I need to blush, I do this' – and he turned his head a little sideways and brought a thumb to his lips.

And this went on, until he heard the ringing of the doorbell he was waiting for.

* * *

><p>"Kisa-san!"<p>

Kisa slightly jumped as Yukina called his name enthusiastically while opening the door. He wasn't entirely used to these greetings yet. Not that he minded it, he was afraid the neighbors might though.

"Hey." Said Kisa as he lowered his head and walked inside the apartment. Yukina studied his face, "Blushing." He said finally.

"Eh? What?" Kisa suddenly felt jumpy.

Yukina smiled and shook his head, "I just said you were blushing."

"Eh? No I wasn't!" How would Yukina know that? Had those guys come inside his house and re-programmed him while he was away? Or maybe it happened when Yukina had gone to give him the bento.

"You are." Smiled Yukina.

"I'm not."

"Are you blushing because you're happy to see me?"

Kisa quickly rushed into the bathroom and locked the door behind him tightly.

* * *

><p>Later that night, when Kisa had gone to brush his teeth he found Yukina making strange faces in front of the mirror. He wasn't sure what to think. But he knew one thing, he would not brush his teeth tonight. That, and he just might be getting closer to the mystery behind Yukina's strange behavior.<p>

While he lay in bed, he remembered the amount he would owe those men when they came to collect in a few more days. Was Yukina really worth it? Why couldn't he still decide? And this should be a simple decision to make at any rate. He didn't have that kind of money, he just didn't! So did that mean that he would lose Yukina?

He closed his eyes and stuffed his face into his pillow. He didn't want to. He just didn't want to let go yet. Damn it all!

* * *

><p><strong>Notes: <strong>First off, I deeply apologize for the super late update in this story. Lots of things happened in the last few months - measles, broken hands, eye infections, heartbreaks - you name in, it happened. O_O So today since I finally got some time, I decided to quickly write a chapter before I gave up on this story altogether. Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed my works - if I wasn't able to get back to anyone, it was probably because I was too depressed too. So I will say it here - thank you everyone! For pulling me along this far. ^_^

Also, I will try to update the next chapter as soon as I can, probably in a week or two? :) Finally, do review - they make me really happy and gives an author a lot of inspiration to continue writing. Thank you for reading. ^_^


	4. Chapter Three: The Ear Stud

**Diclaimer: **Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi belongs to Nakamura Shungiku and her affiliates.

* * *

><p>That morning the sound of the doorbell resounded across the whole apartment.<p>

Kisa was hiding under his blanket and the sky was overcast. It was going to be a horrible day; Kisa could feel it in his gut. He had managed to scrounge up maybe five percent of what he owed those people. Between his home loan payments, saving money for Yukina and the meager amount he received from his job, it was a surprise he got to eat even two meals a day.

He half expected men with knives to come crashing into his room any minute now. Maybe he would be auctioned at one of these weird parties a friend once talk about. He shivered, he doubted those men could get the amount they were asking for even after that. He was too old to start working in weird trades anyway.

Maybe he could write a new manga series that would top the charts and make him a billionaire over night. His heart sped up at the thought.

"Kisa-san?" His heart sped up even more when that voice called. He quickly hid his head under the blanket; he did not want to see who had come to visit him that early in the morning, "Yes?" He meekly asked.

"Don't you want breakfast?" From what Kisa could see with one eye peeping out from under his blanket, Yukina stood there with a ladle in one hand and… was that, "What are you doing?" Screamed Kisa as he sat up in bed, looking at the man squirming in Yukina's other hand.

"Oh this?" Yukina waved the man like he was as weightless as a feather, "He seemed suspicious."

The man gave Kisa a pleading look, and the latter obliged, "Suspicious or not. You can't carry men around like that!"

Yukina looked at him blankly for a few minutes, "Why?"

"Ah…" Kisa tried to think up of something frantically as the man began to fold his hands and… Kisa stared as the man started praying, "Umm, it makes me jealous." Kisa finished.

"Oh." Yukina brightened up instantly, dropped the man on the floor and left the room, presumably to cook breakfast.

The man slowly sat down on his knees, one hand clutching his back while his face distorted into a look of pain, "At least it works."

"It?" Kisa raised an eyebrow.

The man smiled at him, "He, then. Works well, yes?"

"Ah… yeah." Kisa looked away; he worked _too well_ in fact. The past few days had been interesting to say the least, "About the money."

"Ah yes, that is the reason I came to see you today." The man smirked.

Damn him and his big mouth.

* * *

><p>"I'm well aware you can't pay me the money." The man smiled, taking a sip from the cup of tea he was offered, "I would never have approached a man dressed quite as shabbily if I was expecting the entire amount in one instalment."<p>

Kisa almost choked on his coffee, 'Why hadn't they just said that from the start?' He gave the man an angry look. This was beginning to sound more dubious by the second. If he did not want money, then what did he want? Surely they were not testing some kind of new house-sitter programme on him.

"Well then," said the man before taking another sip from him cup, "How much can you pay me today?"

And right back to the talk about money.

"And Sir", the man continued, "I would like for you to be the only one to hear the rest of our conversation. It can come off as quite… delicate to some." He motioned to Yukina, who was busy vacuuming the floor.

Kisa was not sure if he would be comfortable without Yukina in the house. It was surprising how used to being protected he had become. But one look at the man made him feel that this had more to do with Yukina not hearing what the conversation was about rather than talking to him alone.

* * *

><p>And with that Yukina had found himself out to buy some cigarettes from the nearest convenience store. He knew Kisa did not smoke, and the whole exchange with that man was making him feel uncomfortable. Everything was fine till that morning. He had it all planned out.<p>

He had spent the previous night watching as many romantic dramas as he could download. He had a general idea of how to wake up someone you loved and treat them to 'breakfast in bed'. Then… well, most of it were things Kisa should have studied, he never did agree to take a bath with Yukina. Every other show he watched had at least one scene in the bath.

When he had asked Kisa, the latter had turned red and shouted, "What kind of shows have you been watching?"

He sighed. Kisa really was so cute when he blushed.

The sound of kids playing drew his eyes to a nearby playground. Yukina looked confused. Playground? He looked around, trying to figure out where he was, "I'm lost?"

* * *

><p>Yukina was back at the park.<p>

"I'm lost?"

This was the third time he had ended up in the same spot. And for the life of him, he simply could not figure out where he had gone wrong. He walked into the park, trying to locate the map he had been following for the umpteenth time. He studied it carefully – if it was something to go by, he should have been home a few hours ago. And why was Kisa not calling him?

He checked the phone Kisa had handed him a few days after he had arrived.

"What is this for?" Yukina had asked, fiddling with new box he was given as a present.

"So we can stay in touch." Kisa had looked away while replying.

Since that day, Kisa had called at least once a day to find out how Yukina was doing. It seemed strange that he would not call at all even though Yukina had been gone for hours on what should have been a fifteen minute journey.

Unless – Yukina's eyes opened wide. That man had done something to him! He dialled Kisa's number, and started running.

'_The number you have dialled is currently out of our service area.'_

'Since when?' Thought Yukina as he rushed as fast as his legs would carry him. He should never have listened to Kisa and let that strange man into the house!

* * *

><p>Yukina had been busy making breakfast when the doorbell had rung.<p>

It had taken him a little time to go and open the door, but by the time he had gotten around to it, he had found the man on the other side trying to fiddle with the doorknob using a bobby pin.

"What are you doing?" He had asked with a pleasant smile on his face. He had made sure that his voice sounded threatening though. He noticed the man visibly shrink under his gaze.

"Are you doing well?" The man had asked.

Yukina's eyes narrowed, "Were you trying to pick our lock?"

Before the man could answer, Yukina had picked him up and brought him inside. He knew this man well; quite well in fact. His face was the first memory he had. Everything associated with him repulsed Yukina. He had soon deposited the man in Kisa's room and gone back to work. He kept his ears peeled though, any sign that Kisa needed help and he would be there.

* * *

><p>His eyes opened wide as he saw the gates to the park coming up from around the corner. He really could not gather what was happening. A few hours should have passed, but nothing had changed. The sun should have set by now, but it still hung in the sky, as if it had no intention of moving; the same kids were playing with the same balls, saying the same things.<p>

The same couple was sitting on the same bench, trying to hide that they were holding hands. The same old man was walking down the pathway to the park. And most importantly, it was the first time Yukina noticed, every time he came to stand in front of that park entrance, he uttered the same two words, "I'm lost?"

He stopped still in his tracks, not quite sure of what to do next. He had a vague idea of what was going on – it almost felt like it had happened before. The one thing he knew was that every time he tried to run away from this park, he would wind up right back at it.

There was only one thing he could do. He took a step into the park.

At that instant, the world turned dark. The moon was high up in the sky, the ground looked wet. The park was empty, except for that old man. He was sitting down on the bench the couple had previously occupied.

Yukina checked his watch; he had been gone for over fifteen hours. He checked his cell phone. There were innumerable phone calls and text messages. What had happened?

He could feel his mind reel. He need to go back home. He needed to find Kisa now!

He did not trust the map located at the side of the park anymore; instead, he went up to the old man, "Excuse me Sir." He cautiously approached.

The man smiled at him, something about the man instantly calmed Yukina. It was as if he had known the man forever, "It's been a while."

"Yes, it has." Yukina smiled as he sat down. A part of him had no idea why he said that, but another part knew exactly what was going on.

"How is your life?"

Yukina laughed softly, "I'm a robot who is in love with a human."

"A robot, huh?" The man leaned back where he was sitting, and chuckled.

"I won't remember anything after I leave this park, will I?" Yukina asked the man.

"I wouldn't know the answer to that." The man answered as he handed Yukina a small ear stud, "Well, I should get going now"

"No, wait…!" Yukina called out after the man. But within moments, he had disappeared.

* * *

><p>Yukina was not sure when he had fallen asleep the night before, but by the time he opened his eyes, the sun was high in the sky. He remembered a vague dream about meting a man and instinctively went to touch his left ear. It was there, the ear stud.<p>

'It wasn't a dream then.' He thought as he yawned and stretched his hands.

He looked around to survey his surroundings; it looked like he had fallen asleep on the bench. A curious little girl was looking at him.

He smiled at the girl, "Good morning."

The girl turned red and ran towards the entrance. A group of women were standing there, chatting, "Mom, mom! I talked to a prince!"

Yukina checked the phone again, at some point last night, his watch had stopped working. The clock on his phone showed that it was well past noon. He had been missing for over a day.

He dialled back the only number on his contact list, "Kisa-san?"

* * *

><p>Kisa had waited till they got home before he turned to glare at the man he loved, "Where were you?" He asked.<p>

"I got lost." Yukina answered, he was glad to see Kisa again. He moved closer to the man, trying to put his arms around him.

Kisa pushed him away, "Don't do that. Do you have any idea how long I've been worried about you? I searched everywhere. Do you even belong in the registry? I couldn't get the police to look for you! What would I say? Where…"

Yukina cut him off with a kiss. He could feel the man squirming underneath his grasp, but soon he stopped. Something salty made its way onto Yukina's cheeks. He broke the kiss and looked at Kisa, "I missed you."

"Me too." Said Kisa, wiping the tears from his eyes, "I looked everywhere."

"I was at the park the whole time though." Yukina smiled as he picked Kisa up in his arms.

"Hey, what…" Kisa did not struggle as he was picked up, "Liar. I checked there."

Yukina just laughed, "I was there. You should know. You came to meet me."

Kisa looked confused as Yukina continued to walk towards his bedroom; he had gone to the park a few times, yes. But he never saw Yukina there. Maybe his battery was on the fritz?

"Hey, wait, where are we…?" Kisa opened his eyes as he saw Yukina opened the door to the bedroom, "What are you doing? We can't do that. That isn't even possible!"

* * *

><p>Kisa was right.<p>

'That' was not entirely possible. But Yukina looked entirely happy with what little he got. Kisa watched Yukina from where he sat. He was happily watching television, laughing at anything he found entertaining. It was something Kisa never did himself.

In some ways, it was impossible for him to believe that Yukina was not human. In other ways, it seemed obvious. He never knew what to think anymore, especially not after what the suspicious man that morning came to tell him.

'I wouldn't take money for something made specifically for you. No one else can use it after all.' What was that even supposed to mean? Were they going to keep him under surveillance? Were they testing something here? Was it a government experiment? Conspiracy theories had raced across his mind after the man left with but a fraction of what they had originally asked for.

Kisa snapped out of his thoughts as his phone rang, "Ah – Ta-Takano-san! Yes, yes. I'm almost done. Yes, yes." He sighed internally. He was grateful that Takano had let him take the day off to search for Yukina. He had not even asked any questions once he had heard what had happened. But that did not mean he did not expect Kisa to complete his workload once the missing person was found, even if it meant working from home.

Kisa groaned as he looked through the proposal he was writing again. He was stuck. There was no getting past it. He would not be able to finish it.

"Kisa-san, are you hungry?" Yukina asked from where he sat. Kisa gave him a tired look "I just want to sleep."

"Then shall I make the bed for you?"

"Ah." Kisa turned red as flashes from the past hour drifted across his mind, "No, I need to finish this first."

Yukina came to sit beside him, "Can I do anything to help?" He asked.

Kisa smiled as he pointed out what problems he was having. Yukina looked confused, but listened intently.

By the time the sun arrived the next day, Kisa was curled asleep on the floor in front of a completed project. Yukina lay sitting there, next to the man. He had not slept in so long, he had forgotten what sleeping should feel like. He lightly brushed a finger over his new ear stud. He was not sure why, but he felt like he could use a little sleep himself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I'm not sure if anyone is even reading this, but I don't know how long it has been since I last updated it. I had talked to a few people about the story, but everything I did felt like a cop out. I'm so sorry I had not updated before, but I really could not write a story that I did not completely believe would be something different. :( But... somehow, I figured it out. I figured out what was happening in the story so I can write it now. :)

To any of my old readers who are reading this - I apologize for taking so long. I know I had to go back and reread the chapters before writing this one, and I know that can be a pain. So I really apologize. And to anyone who is reading this story with fresh eyes, thank you for reading this!

And finally, this chapter may come off as confusing at face value. :) But I tries to put the clues in the right places. I thought a general idea of where this was heading might help - but adding more things made the story feel rushed.

And to the people who mentioned the mangas (high five!) I love them too. XD But this is going down a very different path.

Please R&R! And I hope you enjoy this story!


	5. Chapter Four: Connection

Disclaimer: I don't own Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi or its characters.

Hello everyone! This story takes place one year since the last chapter. I wanted the story to age with the one year hiatus it took, since that made more sense to me when I wrote this. Thank you so much for reading!

* * *

><p>Yukina loved to read manga. Especially the ones that Kisa had worked on.<p>

Kisa had a habit of falling asleep at the table in the living room with papers spread all around him. Yukina knew these times came at least twice a month, sometimes more. He used to think that Kisa had an illness that turned his eyes bloodshot and ate away at his appetite. But upon confronting the man, he learnt what a bi-monthly manga was. That day he made sure to gather all the copies of the mangas Kisa had previously worked on and started reading them. When Kisa was at work, Yukina was usually at home reading manga. Once he finished with the copies Kisa had in the apartment, he went out and bought copies of magazines that serialized stories Kisa had worked on.

He loved to read them. In Yukina's eyes, it was a way to understand Kisa's way of thinking. Kisa had explained to him many times that he wasn't the one coming up with the stories, or doing the drawing. But that didn't matter to Yukina. What mattered was that he felt a connection with Kisa through his work. So every day after he finished his housework, he would start to read. And he felt something inside him that he decided was happiness.

* * *

><p>Kisa had been regular with his payments of Yukina. He knew there was a catch when the flier had stated <em>only <em>290,000 yen. _Only every last cent they could bribe out of his tortured soul._ They had conveniently forgotten to add the 'per month' part. And by the time they got around to telling him, he knew he wouldn't be able to say no. He hated himself for it, and he knew that there was no way he could make the monthly payments without working himself to death.

Between the rent for the apartment, Yukina's maintenance and payment, groceries and bills, he wondered how he was still moving around. At least Marukawa reimbursed his travel expenses. Kisa made sure to take full advantage of this by travelling to nearby towns to meet prospective authors who want to work with him. It made his feel good, to not have to pay for something. Striving extra hard to desperately get more money had brought one benefit to Kisa's life, he had become better known in his work circle 'as the man who can spot fresh talent'. He didn't mind, it sounded a lot better than 'desperately grabbing onto anything that will sell'.

Sometimes he questioned his own decisions. Was there any need to work this hard?

* * *

><p>Kisa knocked on the door to his apartment. He had left the keys on his desk at work for the third time that week.<p>

"Kisa-san!" The door opened and all the darkness from his life instantly vanished.

"So bright." He muttered under his breath. Was it because he was designed that way? Kisa wondered if there were little light emitters carefully positioned under Yukina's skin that made him shine so much. It bothered him a bit, but as long as he didn't feel them when they made love, he was perfectly alright with it. That and he was sure he was imagining it anyway, but having a human shaped torch might come in handy too. Like if they went camping and it got too dark. Kisa would just go, "Yukina, on!" and everything around him would be flooded by a brilliant light of... Okay, he needed to sleep.

He saw the look of confusion on Yukina's face and gave an apologetic laugh, "Sorry I'm late! I got stuck at work and forgot my keys again."

"What do you mean 'Yukina on'?"

Kisa could feel his face turn deep red out of embarrassment. Why did he say that out loud? _He needed sleep!_

Yukina looked really amused when Kisa explained himself later that night. And of course he decided that Kisa obviously meant that they should leave the lights on that night while they went through their nightly routine. Between intermittent cries of, '_I like it better when the lights are off!' _and _'I wasn't blushing at the doorway!'_, Yukina made sure that he conveyed to Kisa how happy the man's work had made him feel that day.

* * *

><p>Kisa groaned as he tried to move in his place. The sunlight poured into his room, stopping just in front of where he lay on his bed. He would really have to talk to Yukina about how he couldn't keep up with that pace. His shoulders felt stiff as he sat up on the bed. He could hear the sounds Yukina made as he worked in the kitchen. There was a light humming coming from there, and Kisa was sure he had heard that tune somewhere. He slowly got up and went to take a bath.<p>

"Ah Kisa-san! Good morning, I was just about to go and wake you." Said Yukina as he merrily waved his spatula around, running between the kitchen to the washing machine. Kisa sat down at the dining table and tiredly watched as Yukina went about doing his household chores.

"Do you want to eat now?"

"Hmm." Kisa replied before reaching for the remote that was lying on the table counter.

Kisa was well aware that Yukina watched TV a lot, and so one day he had shifted its position so that Yukina could watch whatever he wanted while he was working. It so happened that the perfect position was just comfortably far enough from the dining table to get Kisa into the habit of watching TV while eating.

_Do you want a Life Doll? Straight from LD Inc., we bring you the success story of our generation. Combining technology with companionship, Life Doll's bring joy to everyone._

And he instantly wished he hadn't turned it on. Over the months, LD Inc had become huge. Kisa wasn't the only one they tested their prototype on, and once word got out about this strange new creation, more and more people wanted in. The only positive impact this had on Kisa's life was that he no longer had to tolerate sneaky glances from his neighbours about the man he had snuck into his apartment. Since Life Doll's were listed as a commodity, Yukina could live with him the same way his TV lived with him. That bothered Kisa, he wanted to stop being forced to remember that Yukina wasn't human. Because things break, and if Yukina broke then he would have no idea what to do.

Yukina had noticed the look on Kisa's face when the advertisement came on, and very delicately removed the remote controller from his hands. He started flipping through the channels before finally stopping at one. It was one of his favourite dramas, and today's episode was particularly emotional. He had seen it during its original runtime the previous evening, the episode where the grandfather breaks his leg as he teaches his grandson how to wrestle.

Kisa wasn't sure what he watching. He felt the left corner of his mouth twitch and decided that the whole world was going crazy.

* * *

><p>Once Kisa had left for work, Yukina started drawing.<p>

The number of mangas Kisa had worked on, although an expansive list, did not last forever. Disappointed, Yukina had wondered what to do for the longest time. And then one day, he decided he would try to draw the way the mangas were drawn. It was hard at first, he simply could not understand how to properly draw those big, round eyes, but once he got over the initial hurdle, the drawing pages were filled with beautiful illustrations of his daily life with Kisa.

But Yukina wasn't entirely happy. His drawings were alright, but he never felt any connection to Kisa through them. Maybe if he added words? So he constructed a plain yet endearing narrative describing his love for Kisa in his drawings. But that still wasn't enough.

One day Yukina looked up the intricacies of drawing manga. Maybe if he did it exactly the way it was supposed to be done, he could create something that would make Kisa happy. Maybe it would make him happy. Yukina couldn't explain why, but he felt something horrible each time he didn't like his own art, and he knew soon after he started drawing that he was extremely critical of himself. So Yukina researched the proper way of drawing manga. He learnt about how to storyboard, how to add text bubbles, tones, how to fill in his drawings with different shades and how to properly pace his story.

By the end of that week, Yukina had created a short chapter on his life with Kisa. He was extremely proud of himself, and wanted to show the man really badly. He could just imagine Kisa looking surprised and saying, 'You idiot, you didn't have to do that.' Yukina would smile and kiss the man he loved.

But Kisa was never home these days. He had been living in the office for the past week already, and each day Yukina had to go over with food and a change of clothes. Apparently 'crunch' times were even more horrible than busy work weeks. Yukina had an idea, he would just show it to Kisa at work! And so he packed his work in a light manila envelope and packed it in with Kisa's daily drop offs.

* * *

><p>"Then if you would please." Yukina smiled as he handed the package over to the girls at the reception. They gave him their usually bright smile and promised to make sure he received it. Yukina would have preferred if he could have seen Kisa's face when he opened the envelope and saw their story, and he wondered if he should have waited instead of wanting to show Kisa his manga as soon as possible.<p>

It was a bright day, and on the way home, Yukina made sure to drop by the park he had met the old man so many months ago. He could feel something inside him changing since that meeting, and he had gone back again and again, but he never saw that man since.

It was no different this time. And as Yukina sat on a bench in that park, he could already envision the next chapter in the story he wanted to draw. He couldn't wait to hear from Kisa! And with his phone gripped tightly in his hands, he waited.

* * *

><p>Kisa was even busier than usual that day.<p>

He had a formal evening to attend that day, a party for one of the authors he worked with. He took out everything from his bag and put it on his desk, finally dragged out his change of clothes from the bottom of the bag and ran to get changed. Takano had told him that he wouldn't be able to go that night, and Kisa was already wondering if he could do everything perfectly even if his editor-in-chief wasn't there as support.

During that time, the manila envelope had fallen to the floor. And Kisa didn't know he had to look for something he didn't expect. Within a few hours, he was at the party attending the event, praying it would end soon so he could go home and get some sleep.

* * *

><p>"Onodera, is this yours?" Takano asked as he picked up an unmarked envelope from the floor.<p>

"Ah?" Ritsu turned, his mind somewhere else, and held out his hand. Whatever it was, he would look at it later.

He heard Takano snort from behind him and turned around, "You know, I am doing as much as I can already. I will look at it later." But Takano wasn't snorting at him. The man had opened the envelope and was pouring through the contents with an amused grin on his face.

"What are you reading?" Ritsu stretched from where he was sitting and tilted his head to get a better look at the contents in Takano's hands. Within seconds of glancing at them he looked confused, and blushing profusely, turned back to his work, "Takano-san, I... uh... are we doing those kinds of manga now too?"

Takano was chuckling behind him, "No. Not in this department. I don't know how it got here, but I'll take it to the right department now."

"Oh." Ritsu stared at his work. He had not expected to come across a BL manga while at work, but he would admit that the art was beautiful.

"But first-," Takano bent down, turned Ritsu's head towards him, and planted a soft kiss.

"Ah...!" Ritsu quickly looked around to see if anyone had seen them, "Not at work!" He glared at Takano.

"So anywhere else would be okay...," chuckled Takano as he left the office with the manila envelope in his hand.

"That's not what I meant!" With a bright red face and rapidly beating heart, Ritsu went back to work.

* * *

><p>Yukina had spent a better part of the day being slightly fidgety. Kisa had never gotten back to him through either a text or a call. He wondered if that meant Kisa was so happy that he was looking forward to telling Yukina all about it in person when he came back. But it was very late and Kisa wasn't back yet. Was the man okay? Should Yukina worry? But Kisa had told him that he would be back late that night. But did he mean quite this late?<p>

Before he could analyze his thoughts any further, the doorbell rung. A sense of relief flushed over him as he quickly rushed to the hallway and threw open the door.

"Kisa-san!" He hugged the man and pulled him inside, beaming at him and wondering what he had to say.

Kisa was very confused. Was today supposed to be special? He looked at Yukina's wide grin and wondered if he had to do something. Very cautiously, he lifted himself up on his toes and kissed Yukina. The look of happiness on his face would have Kisa melt if he wasn't so tired.

"Did you really like it?" Yukina asked.

"Like... what?" Kisa replied before he could stop himself.

"The manga, what did you think?" Yukina continued, not yet grasping the growing look of confusion on his lover's face.

"The..." Kisa was not sure where this was going. He had a feeling that he had messed up somewhere, that he was forgetting something.

"Kisa-san, the manga I drew about us, did you read it?" Yukina was now looking as confused as Kisa felt, "It was in the bag I dropped off..." But before Yukina could finish his sentence, Kisa had run out of the apartment.

Half an hour later, Kisa was back. He had overestimated his energy levels, and after trekking towards work for fifteen minutes, he had decided that things were better left till the morning. He would wake up really early and take the first train to work. He would sort out the mess on his table, find Yukina's drawings and quietly sneak them into his bag before anyone could notice.

That night, Yukina was not being his usual lovel-dovey self. In Kisa's opinion, he was sulking. However, Kisa rationalized that since it was an accident, he would fix everything the next morning. He held on tightly to Yukina while he slept that night, a small apology for being careless. And Kisa made up his mind that when the sun came up, he would leave his house with it.

He had left for work without breakfast the next morning. Yukina had seemed like he was in a better mood when he left, but Kisa could still feel a passive-aggressive tension in the house as he left.

* * *

><p>"It's not here. Not here either." Kisa frantically looked through the mess on his desk for the tenth time. He had looked on the floor, in the bag from yesterday; he had looked everywhere he could think of. Was the manga still here? Yukina had told him it was in a manila envelope, but this whole room was full of manila envelopes at this point. Why hadn't he written anything on the envelope?<p>

"Kisa? You're here early." Came Takano's voice from behind him.

He turned around, a nervous smile on his face, "Takano-san, did you by any chance see an unmarked envelope on my desk?"

Takano walked past him, towards his desk and placed his bag on it, "Now that you mention it, last night we found an interesting manga."

Kisa was sure he was going to die right then, "Interesting? Ho-how?"

"Well, it involved two men for one. And it was near your desk." Takano wasn't sure how to breach this topic, he was beginning to wonder if he had delivered a published manga to another department, "Is it yours?"

"Ah... kind of... My friend drew it... and sent it to me for my opinions on it! Yeah, that's right." If the envelope was with Takano, then things would be okay.

"I dropped it off in the BL department." Takano stared as Kisa ran out of the room like someone was chasing after him and trying to kill him. He wondered if he should follow Kisa. The mistake was his responsibility and he should be the one to go and pick the draft up, but maybe waiting till office hours actually started might be a better idea.

* * *

><p>Two hours later Kisa found himself talking to a very excited man.<p>

"I am so glad you're here. Your friend is very talented! Are they interested in publishing? When Takano-san dropped it off, we weren't sure what had happened but..., this is a happy coincidence. Would you give us your friend's details so we can get in touch with him?" Kisa could feel his head spiralling. The overly excited editor-in-chief apparently loved the idea of a story involving a Life Doll. It was the first of its kind, and they might be the first ones to print it! Kisa knew the look on the man's face, it was the same determined expression he got when he found a new author that he knew would sell well. He wasn't sure how Yukina would react however, but he promised the man that he would talk with his friend and get back to him very soon.

Takano had accompanied Kisa during this trip, and on the way back to their department, he said, "You know Kisa, the brunette in the manga acted a lot like you."

Takano didn't know Kisa could run that fast, and amusedly watched the man's back as he ran back to the department after claiming that he had just remembered something important.

* * *

><p>Yukina was extremely happy that night. Completely ignoring the topic of whether he wanted to be a published author or not, he grilled Kisa on his draft. Was the story good? Did it accurately represent their life? Did he enjoy reading it? With each new question, he snuck closer to Kisa on the bed, until he was lying on top of the man. He smiled at Kisa, and it was a smile that simply refused to fade.<p>

Kisa eventually managed to bring the topic back to whether Yukina would like to be a published artist, "Ah? Would you be the one editing it?"

Kisa shook his head no.

"Then no." Yukina smiled at him.

"But..." Kisa did not want to be the one holding Yukina back, in his mind, they could do with the added revenue good sales from being published in a magazine might bring.

"Kisa-san, do you want me to be published?" Yukina asked, lightly grasping Kisa's fingers.

"Ah well... the money..." Kisa couldn't face Yukina. He hated talking about this problem more than anything else.

"Then I'll do it." Yukina smiled at him, "But I'm doing it for you."

"I'll help you too! Even though I can't be your official editor, I'll help you before you send it in!" Kisa clutched Yukina's hands, not very happy with the situation.

But that was all Yukina needed, and as he placed his lips on top of his lover's, he hoped those feelings would reach without words.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello everyone. It's been almost a year since I have written anything, and I wonder if any of the old familiar avatars will come back? I really have to apologize first. Something happened, and no matter how hard I tried, I just could not write. Not even a word. I had tried a lot this past year, but writing was something that I couldn't do. And it really bothered me, because I used to love writing more than anything.

But recently I was notified of a new review for this chapter. I wasn't aware anyone was still reading it, and I came back to the site to check the stats. I really want to thank everyone who kept this and Thirty Shades alive even long after I had grown incapable of putting together even one sentence. If it wasn't for all of you, I don't think I could ever get back to writing. I was really overjoyed at the response, and it brought back memories of when I used to love penning down everything I thought. On that note, I must also apologize for how I wrote this chapter. I am severely out of practice, and felt that if I didn't give it my best to at least put something out, I may never go back to writing again. I hope to edit this to make it even better once I go back to writing regularly again!And once again, thank you everyone for pulling me out of my shell! I don't have enough words to express how I feel!

And as for this story... I have decided to take it down a slightly different road. Instead of just focusing on the romance, I thought slowly bringing in the Life Doll idea to a more societal level would help me explore some interesting concepts I have been thinking about recently. I apologize for the long author's note, but thank you everyone!


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